O’Hurley Returns to Broadway’s Chicago

Chicago, the longest-running revival to play Broadway, will welcome back star John O’Hurley who will return to the production in the role of Billy Flynn. The actor, comedian, and TV personality has played to role of Razzle-Dazzle lawyer before and will begin his latest stint with the production on July 23, 2018.

John O’Hurley is no stranger to Broadway, having played Billy Flynn on four other occasions: 2006, 2010, 2011 and 2015. He is perhaps best-known to the legions of Seinfeld fans, having played the recurring role of J. Peterman. He also hosted the classic game show The Family Feud from 2006-2010. O’Hurley also had recurring roles on long-running soap operas such as The Edge of Night and Santa Barbara.

The revival of Chicago currently plays at Broadway’s Ambassador Theatre. The production, produced by Fran and Barry Weissler, won six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical. Directed by Walter Bobbie, with choreography by Ann Reinking, Chicago features a score by John Kander and Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. Fosse directed and choreographed the original Broadway production in 1975.

The current production recently welcomed back veteran cast members Michelle DeJean as “Roxie Hart” and Terra C. MacLeod as “Velma Kelly.” The cast also includes Evan Harrington as “Amos Hart,” Tony Award winner Cady Huffman as “Matron “Mama” Morton” and R. Lowe as “Mary Sunshine.”

“Chicago is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today’s tabloids.”

Mark Robinson is the author of the two-volume encyclopedia The World of Musicals and maintains a theater and entertainment blog at markrobinsonwrites.com.